Student Survivor Research Collective Shares Results of UC-Wide Survey

Caption: UC Survivors + Allies members present in Phoenix at Society for Social Work Conference. Photo credit Brenda Tully.

Student Survivor Research Collective Shares Results of UC-Wide Survey

by Sara Wilf

UCLA and UCI Students Present Findings at Society for Social Work Conference

On January 15th, 2023, a student research collective of undergraduate and graduate students presented their findings of a first-of-its-kind survey on the experiences of survivors at all 10 UCs. Seven students from the collective, formed through the student organization UC Survivors + Allies, shared the survey results in a symposium at the Society for Social Work annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, supported by funding from CSW|Streisand Center.

UC Survivors + Allies launched the survey — which garnered 1,250 responses from undergraduate and graduate students across all 10 UCs — in response to the UC’s lack of data on where students were seeking support for experiences of sexual violence, including both on- and off-campus, as well as students’ evaluation of resources offered by the UCs. 

“By collecting and analyzing the data ourselves, we’re able to discuss the challenges and successes of various UC resources, as well as examine which resources are the most beneficial for specific student groups,” explained UCLA PhD student and symposium organizer Stephanie Kathan.

The students in UC Survivors + Allies were motivated to conduct the survey because of their own experiences trying to navigate resources at the UCs. “Many of our members had negative experiences with UC resources but there was no accountability because there was no data,” said Sara Wilf, PhD student at UCLA. 

In addition, UC Survivors + Allies wanted to highlight where survivors choose to go for support in order to heal, redirecting from an institutional focus on punitive systems such as Title IX. 

“With the data collected, we were able to evaluate the effectiveness of the Title IX trainings and services, as well as identify recommendations to improve the outcome, especially for minority students,” said Jianchao Lai, PhD candidate at UCLA. 

Study Finds that Different Groups of Survivors Need Distinct Supports

Currently, the UC provides one-size-fits-all resources for survivors of sexual violence. The UCs encourage all students to report incidents to the Title IX office, which begins a standardized investigative process. Yet certain groups of students — such as international students and students of color — may need different or additional resources from the university.

• The study found that international students generally have a lower awareness of on-campus resources compared to domestic students. International students are also more likely to have the mistaken assumption that Title IX services are confidential. Twelve percent of international students do not know that international students are covered by Title IX.
• Black and Latinx survivors are four times less likely to reach out to professors for support compared to White students. Black and Latinx survivors need more resources on campus that are created specifically for them.
• Graduate students are nearly twice as likely as undergraduates to turn to a non-UC romantic partner for support. There is a need for the partners of graduate survivors to access resources and trainings to support their partners, whether or not they are UC-affiliated.

Survivors Are Largely Dissatisfied with UC Resources and Lack Awareness of Confidentiality of Resources

• Overall, survivors had negative experiences with Title IX. “Title IX, at the end of the day they still had my abuser living in the same dormitory as me,” reported an undergraduate student in the survey. “They really ended up doing nothing for my safety except for offering me a no-contact order.”
• The study found that more survivors go off-campus for therapy than to UC-based counseling. Nearly one-third of graduate survivors used off-campus therapy. “CAPS was really difficult to navigate,” said one doctoral student in the survey. “It was difficult to get in for an appointment and then they will only offer so many sessions before you need to be referred out. It really discouraged me from using them.”
• UCPD had almost unanimously poor reviews from students. One student shared that “My interactions with the police only served to traumatize me further. Throughout the entire process I felt belittled, ignored, and disregarded.”

One exception was CARE, which received positive reviews particularly from marginalized student groups such as LGBQIA+ survivors. CARE is one of the only confidential resources on campus, meaning that its staff are not mandated to contact Title IX if students disclose experiences of sexual violence, and its staff develop programs that are focused on healing from sexual violence rather than punishing perpetrators. “The young women and non-binary students in my CARE support group allowed me to feel seen and heard by understanding what I was going through,” said an undergraduate student in the survey.

However, CARE receives low levels of funding compared to other services for survivors on campus. For example, UCLA has only two CARE advocates compared to six Title IX investigators.

Next Steps: Advocating for Changes at the UC Level 

After presenting their findings at the conference symposium, the students in UC Survivors + Allies plan to use the results to advocate for improved resources for survivors at the UCs. They will also disseminate the research findings at the UCs and open source the data online so that other student groups and researchers can use it.

Ultimately, the students hope that the data can persuade UC administrators to change the way they approach supporting survivors of sexual violence — from a focus on punishment (i.e., Title IX) to healing (i.e., CARE and CAPS), and recognizing that different groups, such as international student survivors, might need distinct or additional supports in their healing journey.